Florida Keys & Miami Fishing Report: Kingfish, Mahi, & Redfish Slam in May

Howdy folks! Artificial Lure here with your May 12th, 2025 fishing report for the Florida Keys and Miami area.

The summer patterns are settling in nicely across South Florida this week. We're looking at calm seas today with light southeast winds around 8-10 knots, making for some mighty fine conditions out on the water. Sunrise was at 6:38 AM and we'll see sunset at 7:52 PM, giving y'all plenty of daylight hours to get those lines wet.

Let me tell you, the fishing has been red hot! May is always prime time for what we locals call "meat fish" - the kind that fills your cooler and your dinner plate. Blackfin tuna and kingfish have been absolutely crushing it in the shallower water off Miami[1][4]. Just last week, several boats reported multiple kingfish hookups per trip, with some monsters pushing past the 30-pound mark. These toothy critters are hitting particularly hard during early morning and late evening, so keep those wire leaders handy[1].

Down in the Keys, Captain Ridge Murphy reports the inshore bite has been phenomenal, especially for redfish on the flats[5]. If you're heading offshore from the Keys, you'll find scattered mahi-mahi starting to show up, though they're not quite in their summer concentration yet[1][5].

Mutton snapper have been chewing well on live bait, and the grouper season that opened on May 1st has been producing some quality fish on the wrecks and reefs[1][4]. The shark action has been solid too if you're looking for a real battle - they've been hammering big live baits[4].

For lures, I'm seeing good results with blue/white trolling feathers for the kingfish and tuna. When bottom fishing, live pilchards or ballyhoo will get you connected with those muttons. For the flats action, gold spoons and shrimp patterns are your best bet for the reds.

Hot spots this week: The edge in 120-180 feet of water off Key Biscayne has been holding good numbers of kingfish and blackfin. The patch reefs off Islamorada are giving up nice muttons. And don't overlook the Rickenbacker Causeway flats during the falling tide for some exciting redfish action.

Tide-wise, we're looking at a high tide at 9:22 AM and low around 3:45 PM today, making mid-morning prime time for working those channel edges.

One last tip: the tarpon migration should be kicking into high gear any day now, so keep your eyes peeled for those silver kings rolling, especially around the bridges[2].

Y'all get out there and enjoy some of this fantastic May fishing! This is Artificial Lure signing off until next time. Tight lines and full coolers!